Celadon's surprises
by Sandal that Stinks
Summary: After meeting Matt, the son of Celadon Mansion's owner, Josh returns to the Pokécentre. He is, however, distracted by a cry of distress, to which his Vulpix and he rush to help.
1. Chapter 1: Matt

A/N: Right, so please, just get to reviewing. Oh, and Josh and the other boy are the only characters I own in this whole thing. And Vulpix's name, which is anything but original.

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**Chap. 1: Matt**

written by Sandal that Stinks

Life in Celadon City was hard, especially if you were an amateur juggler and Pokemon trainer. And Josh wasn't talented at any of the two.

Relying mainly on the support of tourists and shoppers, Celadon's government was not democratic in any way. Only one rule existed there, throughout the town, displayed by the high-rise buildings and huge shopping centres: money means power. And thus, rich people were attracted to the place like flies to light.

The casino, the luxurious hotel, the mall, and even Celadon mansion: all these things had been built to invite tourists, _rich_ tourists. Josh had thought of using this to his advantage, and so had left the orphanage with nothing but a few cents and juggling balls. His plan, however, had failed him severely.

Standing on the big plaza at the town entrance, he gazed at the rich crowd standing in front of him. They were waiting, many of them very impatiently, for his performance to begin.

_If I'm lucky, I'll get a few cents from four or five of them._

He was bitter, understandably. It had taken him almost three years to learn to juggle with six objects; three years of daily practice, first with three, four, five and then, at last, with six freaking objects! And what for? For the entertainment of the wealthy. No! - for the entertainment of the selfish, naive, pampered, stinking rich cubs.

_And many of them are hardly younger than I am..._

His sixteenth birthday, or rather, what he believed to be his sixteenth birthday had just passed. Which meant that it was already half a year that he had struggled on the streets of Celadon.

He threw his three juggling-balls into the air, began tossing them systematically one after another. Three was easy: his eyes were still focused on the crowd in front of him. His way of showing off. After several moments of what he often called 'blind tossing', he nodded at the Pokemon standing at his feet. The anxious, obedient Vulpix threw the Pokeball, the one that Josh had bought just the previous day, at him.

_Not the best timing, but it will do. Thanks, Vulps._ He smirked and nodded slightly, showing his partner the gratitude she deserved. He could easily have asked her to throw the other two balls along with this one, but he wanted to build up the tension a bit.

His eyes left his Pokemon's, travelling back to the crowd in front of him. There were many children, perhaps the eldest of them 10-year-olds, who were staring, amazed, at his performance. And then there was one or two teenaged guys, around his age, he guessed, who tried to act cool in front of their girls, by showing disinterest in his juggling. The girls, however...

Every so often, he caught himself gazing longingly at the rich adolescent girls, wearing colourful summerdresses, either joking around while walking around the plaza, or munching at their lunches on the wonderful hotel terrace.

That was perhaps the best part of his 'job': he loved impressing the girls. And many of them Iwere/I impressed. There were times, though, when he wished that admiration was not their only feeling for him. He craved for friendship, perhaps even love. But, as he was a mere Celadon juggler, it was obviously not meant to be.

As he juggled around with the four balls, throwing them and catching them as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and contemplating his spectators, he suddenly caught sight of a boy, around his age, standing right in front of him. The boy, dressed in somewhat rich, stylish black clothes, did not try to hide his awe. Instead, what Josh saw in his eyes was the closest to friendship he had ever experienced: he simply knew that, if he approached this person, he would be welcomed as a good friend.

Suddenly, the Pokeball nearly slipped from his hand. He managed to catch it and throw it back into the air quickly enough to keep the momentum of his juggling, but the shock made him realize that he had actually drifted away from his work. He looked at Vulps, who was still staring at him with her big eyes, and nodded. Once again, he received the fifth ball just as the red-and-white Pokeball left his hand. While juggling with four objects was quite simple for him by now, five was quite different: he actually had to concentrate, so much that he began chewing his lip. It was an old habit of his that he had picked up at the orphanage when learning to read. He found it much easier to concentrate when moving his mouth in some irrelevant manner.

Wanting to get over with his performance, he nodded one last time, ready to increase his speed to place the sixth Pokeball into his circle. After nearly missing two balls consequently, he decided it was enough and threw the juggling objects into the basket at his feet, one by one.

Sweat was running down his forehead, but he did not care. All he wanted was to see into that boy's eyes one more time, just to make sure he had not been mistaken. While Vulpix made it's way through the audience, nudging each one of them, asking in her own, cute way for some money, Josh picked him out through the scattering crowd. The boy was still looking at him, then stepped forward, hesitantly, as it seemed to Josh.

"Hey, that was some awesome juggling there."

_Right, he must have been thinking of an opening line throughout the whole performance_, was perhaps what Josh would have thought if he had not been so amazed that this boy had actually come to talk to him. Thus, the only response he managed was a slight widening of his eyes.

"What, did I say something wrong?"

The boy had obviously sensed his astonishment, and picked it up as irritation. By then, Josh had actually managed to cast a smile on his face.

"Thanks. Not many spectators talk to me after my juggling, so I swallowed my tongue for a second there."

At this moment, Josh was actually cursing his high-pitched, childish voice. Why couldn't he grow up faster? The boy, however, took no notice. Josh's smile had lightened the mood, making the boy feel more at ease while talking to this stranger. He held out his hand after laughing, a laugh that sounded quite convincingly honest, seemingly reaching to the conclusion that Josh was worth introducing himself to.

"My name's Matt. Matthew, actually, but everyone calls me Matt. My dad owns Celadon Mansion, but we only stay here once a week or so, since we go to school at Viridian."

Josh's eyes widened as he took Matt's hand. The owner of Celadon Mansion, speaking to him? Just then did he realize that Matt, with his blackish, spiky hair and deep, brown eyes, did not look as foreign as most tourists. His accent, however, was... _different._

But since he had been wishing for a friend for so long, he decided that this was the one opportunity not to miss.

"So Matt, huh? Sounds cool, if you ask me. I'm Josh."

"Josh..." Matt seemed to ponder over the name, seemed to twist it this way and that in his head. "Josh, is that short for Joshua, or something?"

"No idea. I've just been called Josh all my life, so I guess that's my name."

Both boys paused.

"Say, when you say 'we go to school', you don't mean your father, do you? I take it you've got siblings?"

Matt burst out laughing so abruptly that Josh was stunned for a second. _What a piercing laugh!_ A second later, he joined in, accepting the fact that his joke might actually have been _that _good.

"No, no. I've got a younger sister. She's fifteen now, and to be really honest -" Matt lowered his voice, whispering as if whatever he was about to say was utmost confidential. "To be honest, she's a sight to behold. Not seen a girl as graceful as my sister in my whole life."

Leveling his voice back to normal, his smile returning, he continued: "Pity she's my sis, really."

This time, it was Josh's turn to crack up. "Hey, Matt, make sure you introduce me some time."

"Sure thing."

Just then, a siren-like noise interrupted their conversation, like it interrupted any activity in the whole city. Matt's face paled, his smile wiped away almost instantly. "Oh, snot. I've gotta go back. See you around, Josh, and nice meeting you!"

Before Josh could answer, the boy ran off, towards Celadon Mansion, from which, as Josh realized now, the siren had sounded. Puzzled by this, Josh reached down to pat Vulps, who had already stowed the money and the Pokeballs into Josh's pouch, and licked herself clean during the boys' conversation.

"What an odd person that is, Vulps... I wouldn't mind him as a friend, though."


	2. Chapter 2: Grace

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Pokémon. Obviously. I would also like to thank nightdragon0 for his wonderful fics about Chimera, and dragons, as well as the whole Chimera C2 for their wonderful stories and ideas. Needless to say, I hope this fic will be as good as theirs, and I hope to implement this story into their web of complicated links.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Chili Helena Sphinx, who is pretty much the one who made me continue the story. Props, and I hope you enjoy it.

Note to Chili: this is your birthday present, so quit complaining, kay?

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**Chap. 2: Grace**

written by Sandal that Stinks

"Let us go back, Vulps."

The Vulpix tilted her head at Josh, her intelligent expression mirroring her trainer's good mood. Meeting Matt was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Josh: his bitter feelings towards strangers, towards the citizens and visitors of Celadon, had suddenly ceased. As a result, his juggling had improved greatly, allowing them to gather more money than during peak season. And that was saying much, considering that it was pretty much rainy season at that time. "Go back where? The Pokécentre?"

While most people could guess what their Pokémon were trying to say because of the close bond linking trainer and pet, hardly any really knew for certain what the Pokémon were saying. This was not the case for Josh. For some reason or another, he did not know why, he was able to understand Pokémon speech, every single word of it. As such, he knew what Vulps had asked, despite the fact that a tilted head usually meant confusion, and despite the fact that he had no way of knowing that a single 'Vulpix' might actually be Vulps' way of saying 'Pokécentre'.

Rainy season here or there, the evening sun was quite present at the moment, shining blindingly into Josh's eyes. "Yes, the Pokécentre." He knew for a fact that Vulpix despised that place, more than just from the telling crease in her forehead. She was proud, perhaps prouder than any Ninetales. Living as a beggar must be like living through hell for her. And staying in the Pokécentre, a place with beds only for those in need, thanking its existance to charity from the rich, was nothing but a daily reminder of this.

_'If only I had money...'_

That reminded him of the time when he had run from the orphanage. It was barely a year ago, but memories faded quickly when you were concerned about your own survival. Life over there had not been good for him. He was not the kind to get along with other kids, and often enough, he would end up as an outcast, isolating himself in order to avoid being mocked.

He would have run away much earlier, had it not been for Chili, his sister.

_'Well, not really sister. Not my biological sister, in any case...'_

Chili had been able to understand Pokémon as well. She had also been the one to teach him how to juggle, even though he did not have the same knack for those things that she showed. They had pretty much been brother and sister, each looking after the other.

One day, though... Josh still thought of that day as the apocalypse, the end of the world. He had not been able to help her, not been able to reach far enough to catch her flailing arms. Their lovely stream, from which they were often sent to collect water, had suddenly turned into a raging river, taking his sister from him, leaving him nothing but her drowning screams. He had been made to watch her end, just like her Fire-type Pokémon. Vulps...

A piercing scream interrupted his thoughts. Vulpix and he stood just in front of the Pokécentre, Route 7, and with it the dangerous habitat of wild Pokémon, barely a stone's throw away. Josh sprinted away from the Pokécentre door, which had automatically opened, towards the wild, Vulpix close behind him. He stood on a rather high ledge, peering down into the tall grass, knowing already that a pack of Growlithes must have cornered some young trainer. And there! As predicted, a young girl stood, filled with fear, her back to the ledge wall. Oddly enough, she was surrounded by a dense mist, which, so it seemed to Josh, was constantly growing, enveloping the attackers.

_'She looks one or two years younger than I am. And she looks...wow.'_

Josh shook his head, concentrating on the matter at hand. He looked down at Vulps, who immediately dashed forward, using their higher ground as opportunity to knock out one of the three attacking Growlithes in one hit by leaping onto its neck. As soon as she had landed, however, she was immediately attacked by one of the pack. Though she managed to dodge a swipe, she found herself cornered, along with the girl.

But Josh was just behind her, and with a quick motion, he threw two of his Pokéballs at the Growlithes. Even though they quickly broke free, this gave Vulps the time to Double Team, creating a near perfect image of herself. Along with the mist, which, rather conveniently, had a smell of its own, this was enough to confuse the fire-dogs. The image rushed towards the first Growlithe, disappearing as soon as it leaped at it. Vulps quickly caught it at its landing, striking a terrific Take Down on it. The second dog, however, made its way towards the girl, apparently wanting to Tackle her. Vulps spun around, not knowing what to do. Josh, however, standing just next to the fox, quickly gave his orders. "Vulps, Quick Attack, then finish it off with a Faint Attack!"

The Vulpix responded almost instantly. Sending the Growlithe flying thanks to a Quick Attack to its side, she faded into a purpleish darkness... Only to reappear close to her still airborne opponent, ramming her shoulder into its neck, projecting it into the ground with a rather loud 'thump'.

As soon as the last Growlithe fell, the mist began retreating to its centre: the girl.

"What was that, Josh?" Vulps turned towards the girl, eyeing her suspiciously, as if not knowing what to make of the whole situation. Before Josh could even raise his eyebrows, the girl took a step forward, inclining her head slightly, as if in thanks. Josh could hardly stare enough, such was the grace in the girl's movement. He did, however, note that she held a Togepi in her arms, cradling it like a baby.

"Thank you very much, dear Vulpix. And you too, Josh."

Josh's astonishment immediately turned into mistrust. "How do you know my name? And who are you?"

"Ah, of course, I'm so sorry. My name is Grace Cela. As for your question, my dearest Vulpix, that was the equivalent of a Safeguard and Mist attack combined. Togepi here managed to conjure it up as soon as the Growlithes attacked. I don't think we could have done anything else to fend off their attacks, though, so many thanks to you."

Josh cocked an eyebrow, debating whether Grace had been able to guess what Vulps had said, or whether she had actually understood it. Shaking his head, he quickly dismissed the second explanation.

"So what are you doing here? You should know better than to travel through the wild with just a Togepi."

"Aye, I was waiting for my brother. We had an appointment here, and usually he comes earlier than this." Grace paused for a moment, then, bending down to Vulps, decided to change conversation partner. "What is your name, my dear?"

Vulps's expression had lightened at the girl's manners, and her manner of moving around like as if the wind were carrying her, stepped forward, and, without thinking twice, rubbed her nose against Grace's outstretched hand. "My name's Vulps", she purred, forgetting that humans couldn't understand her.

To Josh's amazement, Grace simply carressed Vulps's head. "Vulps, huh? I must say, your trainer wasn't really original in choosing the name. It is, however, a very nice one. Do you like it?"

The Vulpix nodded, enjoying the strokes too much to notice anything. Before Josh could question her, Grace gazed up at him, smiling a wonderfully beautiful smile at him.

_'Wow, even that little dimple under her cheek fits'_, he noticed absent-mindedly.

"You understand them too, don't you?", Grace stated, revealing what Josh had just wanted to ask. He simply stared at her. "You... you are like us, my brother and me. You can understand Pokémon, every single word they utter, can't you?"

Josh hesitated. All his life, he had guarded this secret. All his life, until Chili, just like Grace now, had displayed the same skill. She, too, had instantly known that Josh possessed the same ability as she did. And thus, they had come to cherish their secret, like a special gift to one another, a promise to stay friends... forever.

He nodded tentatively, snapping out of his thoughts once again. "How did you know?"

Grace shrugged, her pale, slim, and foremost cute face losing a bit of its smile. "I can just tell, just like I can foresee the weather, at times, or…" She glanced past Josh, as if suddenly distracted from whatever she wanted to say, then began waving, her expression brightening up again. "Here comes my brother! You should meet him, you'll definitely like him!"

What Josh glimpsed when he peered around his shoulder was enough to make him swallow his tongue, once again. Vulps, however, screamed his exact thoughts, so excitedly that it could have been classified as hysterical: "Oh my god, Josh, it's him! It's Matt!"


End file.
